Bed harness for children



Sept. 21, 1937. T c 2,093,744

BED HARNESS FOR CHILDREN Filed Sept. 14, 1955 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 21, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in means for securing infants and young children duly covered and protected in bed, and the same has for its object more particularly to provide a device 5 which is simple in construction, efficient in use,

and inexpensive to manufacture.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide a harness by means of which a child may be conveniently secured in bed without interfering to any material degree with its free movements.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide a harness which may be disposed substantially entirely under the bed coverings, and

15 whereby the child may be secured firmly to the bed without danger of injury or inconvenience to the child.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide a harness which is adapted for secure- 20 ment to the legs of the child and to a rigid part of the bed in such manner that it will permit the free movement of the legs and other parts of the childs body.

Further, said invention has for its object to 25 provide a harness of the character specified which, while allowing the child practically free and unencumbered movement from side to side, will prevent its movement towards the head of the bed to such extent as would enable the child 30 to work its way out from under the upper edge of the coverings.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and 35 ends my invention consists in the novel features of construction, and in the combination, connection and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing- 40 Figure 1 is a plan view, partly broken away,

showing a bed or crib with a child therein provided with one form of harness or securing device constructed according to, and embodying my said invention;

45 Fig. 2 is a face view of the harness showing the same extended or spread out, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the leg-embracing members, with one form of adjustable securing means whereby the size 50 of the leg-embracing members may be varied.

In said drawing l0 designates a bed or crib which is shown as comprising a head and foot pieces I! and 2, respectively, and side members [3. The head and foot pieces H and I2 each in,-

55 clude tubular or cylindrical corner posts l4.

The bed includes the usual mattress H, and covering l8 which latter is preferably secured at its two upper corners by tie-bands le to the side members l3, and at its lower corners by tie bands I 8 to the corner posts M of the foot piece l2. The harness is preferably made of suitable soft, pliable material, such as, for example, a woven wool fabric, and comprises a pair of fiat, leg-embracing straps 20, and a flexible link 2! of cylinrical or roll-form in cross-section having flatten- 10 ed end portions 2P to each of which is secured one end of one of said leg-embracing straps 2B. The flattened end portion 2W is provided with a slit or button hole 2 l Each leg-embracing strap 20 is provided at its free end with a tie band or tape 22, and at its other end, where it is attached to the flattened end portion 2I of the connecting link 2|, with a similar tie-band or tape 23 for securing the leg-embracing member to the ankle of the child. The free end of the legembracing member 20 and its tie band 22 are passed through the slit Zl of the end 2P so as to permit of the varying of the size of the leg-embracing member. I

24 denotes a connecting member in the form of 25 a long relatively-narrow band, doubled at its middle and embracing the connecting member or link 2| midway of its ends and fixedly secured thereto by sewing or other suitable means. The two free 7 ends are each substantially one and one-half times the length of said connecting link 2|, and extend therefrom in the form of two separate anchoring members or portions 25, 25*. To the ends of the connecting members 25, 25 are secured the ends of relatively long tie-bands 26, 26*, respectively, each of which is substantially three times the length of the connecting members 25, 25. The connecting members are preferably made of soft fabric, similar to that of the legembracing members 20 and the connecting link 2 I, and the tie-bands 26, 26 are made of thinner, stronger and less yielding fabric such as inelastic webbing.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The size of the leg-embracing members 20 of the harness are first severally adjusted and applied to the ankles of the child and secured in position thereon by the tie-bands 22, 23, and the ends of the long tie-bands 26, 26 of the anchoring members 25, 25 of the connecting member 24 then separately secured to the corner posts M of the foot piece of the bed, or the ends of said tie-bands 26, 26, may, after being passed around said posts 14, be secured together, as indicated by broken lines at Fig. 1, in order to accord a sliding engagement of said tie-bands 26, Zii with the posts I4 and limit the range of movement of the link member 21 and the leg-embracing members 20 relative to the foot piece of the bed.

The covers I8 of the bed may thereupon be fastened to the bed by the tie-bands l9 or otherwise to hold the same in place. It will thus be apparent from the foregoing that the child is free to move bodily in the bed, and that while it is free to move its legs it will, nevertheless, be unable to get out from under the covers [8, as it would otherwise be free to do if not restrained by the harness.

While I have shown the leg-embracing mem bers 20 provided at their free ends with loops 22 to be engaged with the tie-bands 23 in order to vary the size of said leg-embracing members to suit the individual requirements of the child, it will, of course, be understood that any convenient means for varying the size of the leg-embracing members may be employed.

Further, it is to be noted that my harness in no way interferes with the usual making of the bed, and that the same, when applied, except for the ends of the tie-bands 26, 26 is Wholly disposed below and concealed by the bed coverings l8.

Having thus described my said invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A harness of the character described comprising a pair of leg-embracing members, a semirigid connecting link secured at its opposite ends to one end of each of said leg-embracing members and serving to maintain said leg-embracing members in spaced relation to each other, said link being provided at its opposite ends with openings, said leg-embracing members each including a fastening member secured to the free end of each leg-embracing member, a second fastening mem- 40 her secured to each leg-embracing member adjacent the point of securement of said leg-embracing members to said connecting link and adapted to be passed through the opening therein and securable to said first-named fastening member,

5 anchoring means fixedly secured to said connecting link intermediate the ends thereof, and securing members secured to said anchoring means for slidingly engaging with a rigid support.

2. A harness of the character described com- 5 prising a pair of leg-embracing members, a connecting link secured at its opposite ends to one end of each of said leg-embracing members and provided at its said ends with openings, said legembracing members each including a fastening member secured at one end to the free end of each leg-embracing member, a second fastening member secured to each leg-embracing member adjacent the point of securement of said leg-embracing member to said connecting link and adapted to be passed through the opening therein and be engaged with the free end of said firstnamed fastening member, anchoring means fixedly secured to said connecting link intermediate the ends thereof, and securing members secured to said anchoring means for slidingly engaging with a rigid support.

3. A harness of the character described comprising a pair of leg-embracing members, a connecting link secured at its opposite ends to one end of each .of said leg-embracing members and provided at its said ends with openings, said legembracing members each including a flexible fastening member secured to the free end of each leg-embracing member, a cooperating, flexible fastening member secured to each leg-embracing member adjacent the point of securement of said leg-embracing members to said connecting link and adapted to be passed through the opening therein and secured to said first-named fastening member, anchoring means fixedly secured to said connecting link intermediate the ends thereof, and securing members each having one end secured to said anchoring means and their other ends united for slidingly engaging a rigid support.

4. A harness of the character described comprising flat, leg-embracing straps, a firm connecting link secured at its opposite ends to one end of each of said leg-embracing straps for maintaining said leg-embracing straps in spaced relation to each other; said connecting link being provided at its opposite ends with slots and said leg-embracing straps each including a fiat, flexible fastening strap secured at one end to the free end of each leg-embracing strap, a second flexible strap secured at one end to each legembracing strap adjacent the point of securement thereof to said connecting link and having its free end adapted to be passed through the slot in said connecting link and having its free end securable with the free end of said first-named fastening strap, anchoring means comprising a flexible strap having its central portion folded over and fixedly embracing said connecting link intermediate its ends, and securing straps secured severally to the ends of said anchoring straps for slidingly engaging with the foot board of a bed.

IILLAI-I TUCKEY. 

